Mitti will open with Anurag Kashyap’s 'Kennedy', followed by an in-person Q&A with the director, actor Rahul Bhat and producer Ranjan Singh.
Cinema Akil has announced the first edition of Mitti, an Indian Independent Film Festival set to run from November 21 to 27, 2025. Presented by District by Zomato in collaboration with Alserkal Avenue and the Bagri Foundation, and supported by Zee Aflam, Zee Cinema and Manju Ramanan as media partners, the week-long festival will showcase seven independent films, archival works, workshops and conversations, bringing together artists and audiences from India and its global diaspora.
Named after the word for “earth” or “soil” in several South Asian languages, Mitti is designed to evoke the scent of rain on parched land and the deep-rooted stories carried across generations and borders. Conceived as both a homecoming and a journey outward, the festival offers a space to explore the emotional, social and spiritual landscapes that shape South Asian identity in the region and beyond.
The festival opens with Kennedy (2023), directed by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. The film, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival’s Midnight Screenings, will launch the festival in partnership with Saanjh as part of its Beyond the Lens series. Opening night will also feature a performance by Malhaar, the UAE’s leading Indian performing arts group and the festival’s cultural partner. After the screening, audiences will have the opportunity to engage in an in-person Q&A with Kashyap, actor Rahul Bhat and producer Ranjan Singh.
The festival’s lineup continues with Pinch (2023) by Uttera Singh, a moving portrayal of generational memory accompanied by a virtual Q&A with the director. Jugnuma (The Fable) (2024) explores folklore, mythology and ecological memory, followed by an online conversation with filmmaker Raam Reddy. Songs of Forgotten Trees (2024) offers a poetic meditation on the relationship between people and nature, while Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox) (2024), starring Tillotama Shome and premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, examines identity and confinement through a deeply personal lens.
Boong (2024) by Lakshmipriya Devi reflects on childhood, racism and resilience in Manipur, and Village Rockstars 2 (2024) by Rima Das continues her celebrated coming-of-age narrative, celebrating rural aspirations and creative spirit. Together, the selected films span experimental reflections and bold narrative works, capturing the diversity of South Asian cinema while bridging rural and urban worlds, nostalgia and futurism, and homegrown and diasporic perspectives.
In addition to screenings, the festival will host a film appreciation workshop titled Decoding Indian Cinema: Image, Sound, Performance, presented by The Junction and led by Rasika Agashe on November 23. The session will guide participants through the history, language and artistic foundations of Indian cinema through curated viewings, discussion and analysis.
Mitti marks a significant new platform for independent South Asian storytelling, offering audiences in the UAE and beyond a deeper connection to the region’s evolving cinematic landscape.
